How can you manage expectations when using Agile Methodologies?

Agile project management is all about keeping things open and friendly. We make sure everyone stays in the loop through good communication and by involving them in decisions and picking what matters most. We keep it real by explaining that Agile can roll with changes but might affect other stuff. When we plan our sprints, it's like setting short-term goals we can high-five about. And the cool part is we show off our work in these demo parties and talk about how to make things even better in our 'learn from it' sessions. If someone wants to shake things up, we chat it out and make sure everyone's on board. We're all about learning, keeping stuff written down, and not just fixing problems but also having a good laugh while doing it.

Scope creep is one nightmare which most software product development goes through. A well -maintained software development team will ensure that expectations are correctly weighed during the discovery phase. Hence, eliminating any chances of scope creep in future, easing the engineers work life. Few points to keep in mind to ensure there is no scope creep: 1. Know your market: we must know our target market and it's standard so that we don't over-commit our deliverables. Have a good research on the domain. 2. Know your target consumers: how is this different from market? Yes it is. Consumers have more granular details that we have to keep in mind while defining the scope. 3. Always keep technical feasibility above anything

Managing expectations is iterative and being Project Manager it's one of the key responsibilities. Whenever we talk about connecting at different levels stakeholder communication plays a vital role in that. You need to do effective communication constantly though it can be direct or indirect but it should be happening. Expectations could lead you to risk as well so make sure your data is clear and available in a way that avoid confusions.

Managing business expectations while allowing agile practices to thrive requires a bridge between the two worlds. A framework that documents the shared goals and success measures will help create alignment and center the teams to a strong WHY. Communication is essential and having a dedicated role who executes the communication strategy that caters to the intended audience will help keep stakeholders and executives informed while giving the teams the space they need to determine the way to deliver the solution. Utilize tools such as a scope documents, engagement contracts and status updates to keep stakeholders up-to-speed throughout the journey allowing you to manage those expectations while achieving your goals.

1. Communicate regularly: Make sure to communicate regularly with the team and stakeholders and keep them informed about the progress of the project. 2. Set realistic goals: Set realistic and achievable goals for each sprint. 3. Prioritize tasks: Prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. 4. Involve stakeholders: Involve stakeholders in the planning and review processes. This will help ensure that their expectations are aligned with the project goals. 5. Be flexible: Be open to change and be willing to adapt the project plan as needed. 6. Measure progress: Use this information regularly to adjust your plan and priorities as needed.

Here are some things that have proven effective for us: 1. Before the commencement of a sprint, we ensure that stakeholders approve the UI screens. 2. Product Managers/BAs or stakeholders who liaise with customers participate in standups to monitor if the implementation aligns with the intended design. 3. We conduct mid-sprint demos for stakeholders, as opposed to waiting until the sprint's end.

It is very important that Product Owner/Team follows the Definition of Ready approach to provide all adequate details to the team before the start of work. Strong discipline of product team is required for a success full team and successful delivery.

"Walking on water and Delivering software based on requirements are both possible only when they are frozen." A quote read a long time back, makes even more sense for agile. Agile applies to business and product as much as it applies to delivery teams. A clear roadmap with vision keeps the team aligned and any deviation can be quickly identified and corrected. Agile work wonders with a competent team, where every member is functional and provides frequent feedback on the process and status.

The easiest way to manage expectations in agile is bringing your business partners into the journey. Do not assume anything. When at the discovery phase consider the bigger picture and identify the blockers and dependencies. Be transparent with stakeholders. Do not try to be heroes. Open designs and wireframes with stake holders for feedback. The key is feedback , transparency and communication.

Minimize periods of 'darkness'. While its necessary to provide protected and productive time to dev team it cannot be at expense of stake holders getting regular and timely input. As a guideline 'space' for transparent updates and some level of stake holder feedback should be at least as often as sprint periods. Also be critically honest about whether the right stake holders & trust levels are involved. If the culture doesn't seem to allow this, then invest time in resolving as early as possible and avoid temptation to ignore or delay addressing.

Many times we see Leadership has unrealistic and unachievable expectations from an Agile Transformation. It is very important to connect with the LEadership at regular intervals and set the Right expectations from their side. ne very contextual example I can give from my experience, One Leader I coached had a rong notion that Doing Agile will solve all their problems. The Coaching journey I had to undertake here wa to move this mindset from Doing Agile solving my problems to "Being Agile Identifying my problems early" This is the story of my "The Pilgrim's Progress" (Reference Book by John Bunyan)

The important thing to remember is agile won't fix a culture of poor communication. Everyone on the team needs to be diligent about communicating their current status, any unforeseen issues, and potential upcoming roadblocks. Daily standups can start to feel less productive with everyone going through the motions. It's critical that we keep those focused.

I am working on projects with big organizations with multiple layers of managers/management. It is crucial to have a weekly cadence with senior management without proxies in the middle. Focus on the 3 items at max at the time and get committed support from senior stakeholders. One more thing to not underestimate is the local culture, working in North America is not like working in South East Asia.

In my experience leading Agile teams, it’s all about frequent feedback loops. Generally, stakeholders understand that software development is complex and there is a high chance of obstacles/blockers - be honest and transparent about them, and ensure you have an action plan to share. If there isn’t a plan just yet, again..be honest! Let your stakeholder(s) know that you are actively working on it and when they can expect you to share it with them.

In agile it's all about team and not about individuals, so everyone in the team should have common goal. It can be achieved by communicating transparently . Additionally if we have regular demos to product owner the TAT for the story will be reduced, we get faster feedback

One has to be observant of what type of project is supposed to be delivered. Agile methods are not always suitable for projects involving external dependencies or research intense. Risk of delays and failures are imminent. I believe one has to be attentive and if it is possible mititage and/or remove as many external dependencies as possible. If that cannot be done, tight communication on progress is essential.

So oft sehe ich, dass zwischen Management und Agile Coaches Missverständnisse vorhanden sind. Beide sprechen zwar von Agilität und agilen Methoden, aber kaum jemand hat das selbe Verständnis dafür. Daher arbeite ich mit 4 Spielfeldern der Agilität. Hier kann sich das Team bzw. die Organisation verorten und auch klar aussprechen in welches Spielfeld sie möchten. Die Spielfelder ergeben sich aus zwei dem Schnittpunkt von zwei Achsen. Achse 1: Doing Agile und Being Agile Achse 2: Projekt und Linie So kann das Unternehmen klar aussprechen in welchem Feld Agilität gestartet werden soll und alle haben das selbe Verständnis. Das trägt zur Transparenz in der Kommunikation bei.

In my experience, This can be a major contribution especially for the organisations working remotely with different type of people and cultures, Being Product manager , i would suggest that communication and transparency comes with the Processes those need to be followed by all means and that process will have a clear communication of Agile methodologies being followed , where are the gaps to improve and what kind of quality we deliver after firm processes ,For any kind of changes in process will be with the consent of all relevant stakeholders otherwise no accountability will be there for measuring success or failure.

EDGE’s Value Based Prioritization refers to what customer recognizes as valuable. Measure of Success(MoS) helps describing the desired outcome of the work in a way that people doing the work can test to determine whether they are on track. MoS represents value at every level from goals to implementation. This helps in maintaining alignment (across business units, across the departments and within teams) through out the organization. Prioritization becomes extremely difficult when organizations try to achieve many things at the same time especially during transformation. During such situations, prioritization exercise should be a regular activity focusing primarily on customer value.

Agile says that the scope is managed by the PO. Make sure that your PO is fully aligned with senior management and that she/he is not egotist personality. Furthermore, set clear goals/kpi to understand if that change/feedback makes really sense.

The other aspect to consider is "No one size fits all.", understanding the current situation and tweaking processes based on the feedback is critical to the optimization/efficiency of the agile development methodology. Implementing processes which makes the team more productive should be done cautiously. My personal favorite is being lean wherever possible. Efficient teams love operating in an environment that doesn't slow them down.

Other best practices for managing expectations when using Agile methodologies are: - Use transparent and frequent communication methods to keep the stakeholders informed and engaged. The communication methods should include both formal and informal channels, such as meetings, reports, dashboards, demos, emails, chats, etc. - Manage scope changes effectively by using a backlog and a prioritization process. The backlog is a list of all the features and tasks that are required or desired for the project. The prioritization process is a way of ranking the backlog items based on their value, urgency, dependency, and complexity. The scope changes should be reflected in the backlog and prioritized accordingly.

Openness to change is one of the 4 values of Agile. At the same time, it is critical that the stakeholders and team always check whether they are on the right tack towards the end goal; This is a very common mistake that needs to be avoided - going from change to change, losing the actual direction the product is supposed to pursue

Agile's hallmark is its responsiveness to change. But this dynamism, if unchecked, can be a double-edged sword. Over the years, I've witnessed projects with immense potential get sidetracked by an uncontrolled influx of changes. The remedy lies in structured change management. Each feedback, every change, must be meticulously weighed against the project's overarching goals. It's pivotal to have a rigorous mechanism to prioritize these alterations, ensuring they amplify the project's value proposition without diluting its core essence.

Adaptability is a fundamental component of agile, but if mismanaged can cause large amounts of pain for team members, stakeholders, and inevitably the users. How change is managed becomes a critical component to programatic success. The persons involved in prioritization need to have a high amount of situational awareness and emotional intelligence to ensure that a true synthesis of ideas can come together to drive alignment on key changes.

While traditional Project Management uses the principle of Change Management in Agile its all about EXCHANGE MANAGEMENT What is Exchange Management? If something important has crept in our Product Backlog and needs an urgent priority, then something less important what we are doing now has to be paused or moved out of my Backlog. "We Can't Do It All" thats the message which should resonate across the teams. Also traditional Change Management Structures (Change Control Board/ Change Advisory Board) need to be redesigned and reworked to suit the Agile Operating model of the engagement.

Lastly, other best practices for managing expectations when using Agile methodologies are: - Apply responsible AI principles and practices to ensure that the project deliverables are ethical, fair, transparent, and accountable. If the project involves AI systems or components, such as machine learning models or natural language processing tools, they should be aligned with the values and goals of the project and the stakeholders. They should also be evaluated for their performance, accuracy, reliability, explainability, and potential biases or harms.

To deliver a quality product using agile methodologies, focus on collaboration, iterative development, and continuous improvement. Start with clear customer requirements, involve stakeholders, and create a prioritized backlog. Work in short iterations, delivering increments of the product. Maintain open communication and adapt to changes. Emphasize testing throughout the process to catch issues early. Conduct regular reviews and retrospectives to identify areas for improvement. Ensure a motivated, cross-functional team and encourage self-organization. Use tools and metrics to track progress and quality. By following these principles, you can consistently produce a high-quality product that meets customer needs.

They key word here is "trust". Once a team gains the trust of their stakeholder through excellent understanding and communication followed by solid incremental software delivery, a lot of "agile" ceremony can be set aside. The prime example of what can be set aside is estimation. Estimates are a trust-building tool, and once that trust is established, they can often be removed. If tasks can be kept relatively uniform and small, teams move faster by skipping estimation and simply working on the highest priority work.

EDGE’s Outcome Based Strategy advocates investing based on customer value first and business benefits second. Once this is established, alignment of the groups with an organization becomes much easier and the decision to invest more or stop or pivot is then ascertained by measuring performance against these set targets.

Most of the time "Working Software" does not often mean scalable. Features are rushed out and a "Refactor Story" is often added to the backlog but never pulled into a sprint in a scrum environment. - Communicate to the stakeholders that scalability mean having the ability to extend the feature/application and support a larger client base.

You need to deliver value. You can deliver ir making clear what value means for your stakeholders. With the concept of value clear, it will be easy to measure if the software is delivering value. Also your work is make things less complex to achieve results on the fastest way.

Prioritize Wisely: Focus on high-impact features first. Customer Collaboration: Regularly engage with users for relevant feedback. Iterative Delivery: Release small, frequent updates for continuous improvement. Quality Assurance: Integrate testing early and often. Team Empowerment: Encourage ownership and decision-making within the team. Reflect & Adapt: Regular retrospectives to refine processes. Technical Excellence: Invest in good design and sustainable development.

Points to be vigilant of - Prioritize delivering working software that addresses stakeholders' needs and expectations, offering tangible benefits. - Consistently delivering value and quality builds trust and confidence among project participants. - High-quality, valuable software leads to greater satisfaction among stakeholders, team members, and users. - Continuously refine based on feedback and changing requirements for enhanced value and quality. - Communicate progress and results to keep stakeholders informed and engaged. - Actively incorporate feedback to align software with user expectations, improving value and quality.

Delivering value and quality is at the core of Agile. ♦️Working Software: Ensure that each iteration delivers a functional, usable product increment. 🔹For example, if you are building a project management tool, ensure that users can create and manage tasks effectively. ♦️Testing and Validation: Rigorously test and validate software against agreed-upon standards and criteria. 🔹For instance, conduct user acceptance testing to confirm that the software meets user expectations. By consistently delivering working software that meets quality standards, we establish trust, confidence, and satisfaction among stakeholders, team members and users, enhancing their overall experience with the Agile project.

Secret of getting more business from customer depends the value delivered through working software which meet their current needs and extendable for the future changes, and have tangible benefits and outcomes and have agreed quality, and they start realizing the ROI. Delivering value, quality, user experience build the customer trust, confidence and satisfaction which increase the net promoter score and hence the chances of bringing more business to the organization.

Involve relevant stakeholders when prioritising what items go into the product backlog. Some prioritisation techniques are MoSCoW for more granular things like user stories, or Value vs. Cost for higher-level things like product functions. Backlog refinement should help align everyone invested in the project so that expectations are well-managed.

I've often seen two extremes to Agile projects. The first is a strict by the book implementation of the Agile framework. This one size fits all framework doesn't take into account the team dynamics as well as stakeholder expectations. It often leads to frustrated team members and angry stakeholders when the project inevitably goes of the rails. The second is a project which lacks the preparation usually due to level of Agile experience. In this type of project you might see a green status, but you might also uncover issues which could have been easily mitigated early on. I think the right balance is a project which employs the right Agile tooling with a base process modified for the needs of the stakeholders, delivery and dependent teams.

Some ways that Agile has been helpful - 1. Setting realistic goals - establishing achievable goals and priorities. Knowing that stakeholders understand that not all features can be accomplished into the current iteration. Prioritize most important and impactful items 2. Embrace Change - Emphasize that requirements can change and make sure teams are comfortable with priority shifts where needed 3. Continuous Demo & Feedback - Spread awareness by showcasing updates to relevant teams and encouraging stakeholders to provide regular feedback, this ensures the outcomes of feature changes to be aligned with expectations 4. Analyze Risks - Identify potential risks and challenges, ensure collaboration with effective and transparent communication.

Agile methodologies have revolutionized project management, enabling teams to adapt and deliver value at a rapid pace 🚀. However, effectively managing expectations in this dynamic environment can be challenging. Managing expectations in Agile requires a delicate balance of flexibility and structure. Remember, effective collaboration, clear priorities, transparent reporting, and education are key ingredients to success. By embracing these strategies, you can enhance project outcomes and nurture satisfied stakeholders. 🌟

There is a need to understand that there isn’t one recipe about building enterprise responsiveness and at the end of following these steps, an organization becomes “agile”. EDGE’s operating model - connecting strategy with delivery enables organizations to achieve organizational responsiveness. The three fundamental questions that EDGE helps us answer when we are leading an organization’s transformation are : 1. How should we work together? 2. How should we invest? 3. How can we adapt fast enough? From an operating model perspective, by embracing EDGE principles, an organization is learning to measure success differently.

Agile employs a range of frameworks, and in my experience, the strategy for handling stakeholder expectations differs accordingly. in Scrum, expectations are established through a well-defined product backlog and sprint planning. Regular daily stand-ups and reviews allow for necessary adjustments. In XP, effective expectation management relies on continuous customer communication, the use of user stories, and frequent releases. DSDM, on the other hand, leverages MoSCoW prioritization and iterative development to handle expectations. In Lean, the focus is on identifying value streams, waste elimination, and the continuous improvement process to efficiently meet customer expectations.

One of the most neglected aspect in my view is 'Creative dissonance'. Whilst the key idea is always to deliver value for stakeholders, many members refrain from speaking their mind or most times the project hierarchy stonewalls the members. I always like to hear from the least - speaking members, to open up 1-1,in case they're not willing to speak in a forum. Some of the brightest ideas, better ways of doing things come from such members. More than anything else, some of the best perspectives come from the folks who have different ways of implementing reqs but keep mum in meetings. Once the floodgates are opened creative juices flow.

In my observation of many software teams, the majority of agile teams haven't read the manifesto, let alone the scrum guide. Broadly speaking, "agile" as it is seen is just a clunky waterfallish mode of development with solo engineers tasked solo projects. Scrum isn't scrum at all, but standup meetings for managers to get status on the 7 solo projects their team is running. Planning isn't anything because the solo projects run on long threads. The teams are buckets of individuals doing solo work. Expectations? If you want that, don't bother with agile. Just task out long running failure prone slices, blaming the failure on the engineers instead of the real cause. Now Agile is something else entirely...

If your organization has multiple value delivery streams, it is imperative to have an alignment across the product management teams toward a common product backlog and priorities.

Nowdays, every client would like to go to market within a short time. And we should also provide quality work and bring the value. As per my understanding, These two aspects contradicts each other. So we have to carefully find a middle ground and execute the project. While taking this path, we will not be able to follow all the process, we need to find the smart ways to do the work with all the stakeholders. I feel, Finding the right balance between these aspects becomes a key to success.